Today most indoor spaces in homes and offices are cooled by central air conditioning systems that pull air from each room, through ducts, and to an HVAC handler unit. In the HVAC handler unit, the air is cooled by passing it over coils that are filled with a refrigerant. After cooling, the air is forced through supply ducts leading to supply vents within each room of the interior space. The cool air exits the supply vents and fills the interior living space in order to maintain a desired temperature level. When the air is pulled from the indoor living spaces and through the return ducts, the air is directed through one or more filters that trap some, dirt and germs before the returning air reaches the HVAC handler unit. The primary purpose of these filters is not to keep the air clean in the indoor living environment. Instead, these filters are meant to remove dust and dirt before the air reaches the evaporator coil and blower of the HVAC handler units so that the coils stay clean for efficient heat transfer. Over time, the ducts and/or equipment need to be replaced because of decay, deterioration, mold, asbestos, equipment failure or re-sizing.
Accordingly, when the old ducts or equipment are removed and the new ducts or equipment installed, there remains a need for a filter that is specifically adapted for placement on the outside and over the air supply vents of an air conditioning system in order to remove dirt, soot, fiberglass, mold, asbestos, debris, and other particles or contaminants from falling out or from the cool airflow forcing it to enter the indoor living environment. For simplicity, the various particles and contaminants will be collectively referred to as particles below.